


Gilan Is Your Apprentice, Don’t Bother Arguing

by Timewormbloom



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 16:10:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18673063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timewormbloom/pseuds/Timewormbloom
Summary: How Crowley convinced Halt to take on an apprentice for the first time, featuring a small Gilan.





	Gilan Is Your Apprentice, Don’t Bother Arguing

**Author's Note:**

> I’m putting all of my stuff from Tumblr on here, so expect a giant wave of stuff within the next couple of days

     Halt considered Crowley to be a smart, capable, and responsible leader. As a person, however, Halt would tell you a much different tale. Though that was warranted, seeing how Crowley was supposed to be reading an important document out loud, but instead mumbled a quarter of it, skipped half of it, then replaced the final quarter with ‘yada yada’. Still, Halt trusted Crowley’s judgement and signed his name at the bottom despite not knowing what it was. The worst case scenario would be it was a contract forcing Halt to visit a barbers. He never did find out, since as soon as it was done the document was shoved unceremoniously into a pile of nearly identical papers on the floor. 

 

       “So.” Crowley only had to say that one word for Halt to grow suspicious. He knew that tone. 

 

         “Remember the battle at Hackham Heath?” Halt suspicions only grew stronger with that statement. 

 

        “No. I completely forgot about the massive battle that made history and me famous,” Halt replied, completely deadpan. 

 

       “Yeah, that too. But I was thinking about that cavalry charge, or well, your guide,” Crowley said, completely nonchalant. 

 

       “I’m not training him,” Halt immediately responded. He would admit to thinking about the prospect of training someone, but that was quickly discarded (it wasn’t). And Gilan in particular may have sprung up when he was feeling particularly isolated. But that certainly didn’t mean he would mentor him. 

 

      At this particular moment Halt noticed a book lying half-buried under some papers with the spine exposed. A book that Halt recognized and knew contained information on how to help people mentally. A book that strongly suggested things like taking on an apprentice. 

 

        “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with that?” Halt questioned, eyebrow raised. 

 

       “No,” Crowley had to gall to say. He looked Halt dead in the eyes and kicked it further into the papers. 

 

       “Sure,” Halt simply stated. 

 

      If you tied Halt up and ordered him to tell you how he got here, he wouldn’t be able to tell you. Mostly because he would be busy beating you up for tying him up, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Crowley had somehow managed to convince him to watch Gilan train from afar. 

 

       Halt dutifully noted his impressive skills with the swords. Out of sheer force of habit he began to analyze his style, looking for openings or weaknesses. He was forced to admit he found few. 

 

      “I remember we had this conversation three years ago. You insisted that you weren’t ready to mentor someone because you were new to being a Ranger,” Crowley added quietly, seeing the pensive look on Halt’s face, “But you’re not new now. I know you two would be good for each other. He looks up to you. You get a chance to pass on your knowledge, help someone, and you get a live-in companion!” 

 

       While Crowley did his best to maintain a cheerful tone, Halt could hear the genuine sincerity behind his words. And, albeit reluctantly, Crowley’s logic (while that logic might not always make sense, he trusted that logic). And the idea of helping someone else grow was an attractive one. Of course, all good things must come to an end. At that particular moment, Halt suddenly realized what that form must have been. 

 

      “I’ve already signed the forms, haven’t I,” Halt muttered, burying his head in his hands. 

 

      “No, that was just a an excuse to get you here. I don’t even know what that was. I left the real one here earlier.” True to his word, Crowley dug up a patch of earth to reveal a small chest. Flipping it open, there was both the necessary paperwork to take on an apprentice and a quill. 

 

      “Optimistic, aren’t you,” Halt remarked, despite the fact that he was already halfway through signing them. 

 

      “What would give you that impression,” was all Crowley said before striding off the where Gilan was taking a water break, no doubt to break the news. “Expect him in a month!” He shouted, barely giving Halt enough time to blend into the shadows  before someone noticed him. He didn’t stick around Castle Araluen for much longer, but he did linger a few seconds longer than necessary to watch Gilan all it do cartwheels in excitement.

  
  



End file.
